Do you work or study at home? Have you locked yourself in due to recent events, such as the virus causing quarantines around the globe?
No matter the reason, staying at home makes it easy for things to pile up. Before you know it, your home is a chaotic mess!
It’s time to start decluttering your life. Don’t fret if you have no idea where to start and what to do.
We’ve got a guide below listing a few useful decluttering ideas you need to try.
1. Know What to Keep
Decluttering your life is all about getting rid of the things that slow you down. All that clutter can negatively affect your brain. Staying disorganized can drag your personal life and work down, decreasing productivity and your mood too.
Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know where to start. Why not start by listing the things you want to keep.
Don’t run wild with this idea. Limit it to 5 things per category. For example, you can list 5 antique furniture to keep or 5 clothes to pack with you.
2. The KonMari Method
Feeling a little confused about which to keep and which to get rid of? You need to use the KonMari Method, popularized by Marie Kondo and her show.
This method involves holding each item and doing a bit of retrospect. If the item sparks joy, you can keep it. If it doesn’t spark joy, even when it’s a sentimental item or valuable possession, you need to let it go.
What do you do with things you love but can’t keep? Marie Kondo suggests taking photos of them. The item might be gone but you’ll be able to keep the memories.
3. Before and After Photos
Speaking of photos, make sure you take “before” and “after” photos of areas you want to declutter.
Taking a photo can motivate you to get started. The first photo will highlight how messy, disorganized, and unhealthy the area is. After decluttering that spot, take a photo, and admire the work you did.
As you stare at the “after” photograph, you might feel inspired to continue your progress somewhere else. Pick a new spot or room in your home and repeat the cycle. Continue doing this until you declutter your whole home or workspace.
4. First-Time Visitor Perspective
Don’t know how to declutter? You might not see the mess because you live there. You see the chaos every day and feel accustomed to it.
Properly decluttering your life requires a brand new perspective. Look at your home with the mindset of a first-time visitor.
Visitors notice things homeowners don’t.
How do you achieve this? Go to your room and point out the essentials, such as your bed, closet, work desk, and bedside lamp. If you can’t navigate to those or access their contents easily, it means there are too many things in the way and it’s time to declutter.
5. Donate
Finished segregating what you’ll keep and the ones you won’t? Some of the things you don’t need will go to the dumpster. For the other stuff, however, you should consider donating them or recycling them.
With the right help, you don’t even need to lift a finger to get rid of old furniture. You can hire experts to pick up the heavy items and donate them to different charity groups or recycling companies.
For the small things you need to get rid of, why not donate them yourself? Those clothes you no longer wear make a mess in your home but they could put a smile on someone else’s face.
6. 10-Minute Routine
Decluttering your home can seem like a lot of work. There might be an overwhelming amount of things to sort through. You might have too many rooms to clean up.
Use the 10-minute routine to get a smooth and quick start. Pick a room, refer to your checklist of things to keep, and then spend 10 minutes doing the KonMari method to sort out the rest.
After 10 minutes, give it a rest. Go about your daily business. When you feel like decluttering again, go back to that spot and continue for another 10 minutes.
Doing it this way allows you to declutter while still finishing your other responsibilities. It also makes the act of decluttering less exhausting to go through.
7. Declutter Papers Too
When people declutter, they often focus on sorting out clothes, toys, souvenirs, and accessories. People tend to forget that papers can create a massive mess too, especially for office workers, doctors, lawyers, students, and writers! Even if you don’t normally deal with papers, you might have a mess of bills and letters you never realized cluttered your home!
Never forget to declutter your documents too. Put them into piles and then put those piles into boxes. You can have a pile for bills, a pile for personal letters, and a pile for papers to throw out or recycle.
8. Ask for Help
Are you still feeling a little lost? Can’t find the motivation to get started?
Keep in mind that it’s okay to ask for help! You don’t have to do declutter all by yourself. Bring in a relative, a friend, or even an expert to give you a helping hand.
While the extra pair of hands won’t be around forever, they can at least help you get started. Those first few days decluttering are always the most difficult, after all. By the time you’re back on your own, you’ll have fallen into a comfortable groove.
Start Decluttering Your Life!
Get organized again by following these tips. Decluttering your life isn’t an impossible task. You simply need a system and these tips can help you formulate one that works for you.
But why stop with decluttering? If you want more lifestyle tips and guides, you should continue checking out our other articles. You may find the tips and tricks you need today!
